MELBOURNE, Australia — In advance of the 2026 Australian Open men’s singles final pitting Carlos Alcaraz against Novak Djokovic in a match for history, a dispatch from Melbourne.
After the Commonwealth of Tennis caught its collective breath on Saturday morning Melbourne time, as the sun was beginning to peak out and spread over Southern Australia, the numbers came fast and furious. Novak Djokovic, 38 years and 255 days old, had just defeated Janik Sinner, 3–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4. One of the signature wins of his career—which of course is saying something—Djokovic saved eight break points in the tense final set alone. He snapped a five-match losing streak to Sinner. He returned to the final of the major he first won in (gulp) 2008. He did not leave the grounds until after 3:00 a.m. local time.
